Powerful Couple
by Blackwell-Triplets
Summary: This is the story of Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson. In this story, Draco is a prat, and Pansy is, well, submissive. This is preHBP. Rating is for later chapters. Thank you.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This is pre-HBP. I hope that you enjoy it.**

Chapter One

Hello, my name is Pansy Parkinson and I am eleven years old. Yes, that's right, I am a pureblood Parkinson. And, yes, I have everything that comes with being from an old pureblood wizarding family; long blonde hair, ice blue eyes, petite. So I have the old looks, but I also have the old heritage, breeding, and arranged marriage. I also have the cut throat, don't trust anyone, and don't give a damn personality.

Part of that personality, though, I know is going to get me in trouble with my fiancé; Draco Malfoy. I hear the shocked silence, yes, I got Draco Malfoy. But my "Don't Give a Damn" personality is probably going to get me in trouble. I know you probably don't understand what I am saying. Oh, you think you do.

Look, we're different from you. Our families are different from yours. Old blood, rich, aristocratic to other wizards. Looks down on everyone else. It's a dark circle, involve in…you know, and old fashioned. Arranged marriage, heirs, male heirs only, men go off to work, or disappear for months without a word on secret orders from the Dark Lord. Women do nothing. Don't you see? Don't you understand now that you understand nothing that I am talking about?

Women in old, pureblood families aren't allowed to say whatever comes on their mind. They aren't allowed to not give a damn. Don't you understand?

Okay, let me put it to you this way. I was meant to be a boy. Only boys are useful, only boys are cherished. Only boys are forgiven.

As soon as I was born, my father left the room. It was a week before I was named. Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy had brought Pansy flowers with them when they came to talk about me being engaged to their six month old baby boy, Draco Malfoy.

He was a wanted child, a boy. Well, it wasn't until the Malfoy's came that my mother and father realized my significance. They had just created the most powerful match that had ever been created in a long time.

You see, a Malfoy by himself is very powerful. And a Parkinson by herself is very powerful. But a Malfoy and a Parkinson together were to be the most powerful people ever to be put together.

So my future was set. I was to grow up, raised properly. Go to Hogwarts and get good marks. Become a prefect. Get married to Draco. Become head Girl.

I knew that plan my heart by the time that I was two years old.

What my parents didn't count on was that I didn't want to follow the life that had been set out before me. I didn't want to grow up to be perfect.

My father did, of course, beat that out of my system soon enough and I grew up to be the perfect daughter, whenever they, or anyone else was around. And to mother, that was enough.

Enough reminiscing. Back to the present. You see, the problem is that I am about to go to Hogwarts and be sorted into Slytherin, and I don't even know what my fiancé looks like.

I have to warn you, you are about to enter the highly secretive world of pureblood witches and wizards. Anything you see and hear is not to be repeated to anyone.

**Author's Note: Her speech in their about not knowing old pureblood families, the third paragraph, is taken from some other story I read. I liked it at the time, and copied it down. I no longer remember what story that was. Thank you for reading it, and please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: This is Pre-HBP. Yes I have read it, but I wrote the first few chapters before it came out, so I have decided to keep it pre-HBP.**

Chapter Two

September 1st began bright and early. The first rays of sun barley sprinkling my pink silk covers when my mother enter my room to wake me up.

"Today, Pansy, you must look perfect. A make up wizard, hair stylist wizard, and skin perfectionist wizard are all here to fix you up. You have to look perfect for Draco. First impressions are always the most important. You are naturally a very lovely girl, but a little help never hurt. If Draco decides to hate you from the state, if you do something wrong, he will make your life terrible. If you impress him, though, and get him to fall for you, your life will be set; will be perfect. Please, Pansy, I beg you, do not mess this up. Don't let your tongue slip. Think before you speak."

And with that, mother opened the door to let all the specialist in. I must say that when all is said and done, I look perfect. I look like a delicate little flower that needs to be looked after.

I had decided during my mothers little speech that I would be careful, after all, whether I liked it or not, in five years, I was to be married. I do want to be happy the rest of my life, and if that meant a little pain for a little while, then so be it.

I went down to breakfast, knowing all the while that I wouldn't be allowed to eat any of it. I just had to go down because then father could tell me what I should, and should not do, and what would happen if I should disappoint him while at school.

As I walked into the breakfast room and past my mother's chair, she hissed at me, "No breakfast or else." I didn't even bother asking what would happen if I did eat. I knew she would appeal to my father, who would pull out the thick wooden paddle and give me a good beating.

"Good morning, Mother. Good morning, Father." I said as I took my seat. I gave them my nicest smile, as if to say, 'don't worry about a thing, I won't mess up.'

"Pansy, you look beautiful this morning," my father started. "Today is an important day. We will be meeting the Malfoy's at the train station and then you and Draco are to sit together for the duration of the trip. If Draco does get up, you are to ask if he wishes you to join him. If yes, then follow, but don't ask any question. If not, then you are to remain in the compartment. Do I make myself clear, Pansy?"

"Yes, sir. I won't mess up," I replied.

"Then you will be sorted into Slytherin and will sit next to Draco. If Draco asks you to do something this year, do it, no questions asked. Don't talk excessively. If you mess up, Pansy, you will have me to reckon with during vacation. You know that won't be pleasant, and you know I will find out. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then have a good term. See you at Christmas vacation," he said as he got up and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. Then he left the room.

My mother, always quick to follow my father, got up, kissed my cheek, and said, "Have a good term, make good marks, win Draco, and write often."

"Yes, Mother. See you at vacation." I said to her back as she walked out of the room.

I was alone. I had two hours before we were to go to the station to meet the Malfoys. My bags had been packed, the person was fixed. Everything was done. I decided to go quickly to my room and pack my secret box before I was caught.

It was a wooden box that Mrs. Malfoy had given me on my tenth birthday. She said that every girl needs a place to hide away her secrets. The box would only open with the engagement ring I worse on my ring finger on my left hand. Engraved on the inside of the box is the saying:

If it makes you happy

It can't be that bad

If it makes you happy

Then why are you so sad.

On the top was my name, well sort of. It said Pansy Malfoy. I suppose that would be me.

I took the box from under the loose floorboard in my room. Mother didn't even know the box existed. I wasn't sure how she would react to seeing 'Pansy Malfoy' on it. I mean, we aren't even married yet. My mother gets really emotional about things like this.

By the time I had packed the box, closed my trunk. Repacked my handbag, making sure my wand was handy, walked downstairs, and got to the lobby, it was time to go.

**Author's Note: I hope that you enjoyed it. Please review. Thank you for your time.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: This is Pre-HBP. Thank you for reading my story.**

Chapter Three

Mother, father, and I arrived at the station and went directly to Platform 9 ¾. We were ten minutes early, but already mother was worried we had kept the Malfoys' waiting.

As it turned out, the Malfoys' had arrived just shortly before us. I knew it was the Malfoys' because Lucius and Narcissa had come to our house for dinner often, but they never brought their son with them.

I looked at the boy I realized must be my fiancé. He had blonde hair, ice blue eyes, pale skin, and stood about half a foot taller then me. He stood there, next to his father, with his arms crossed and a smug smile on his face.

"Pansy, so nice to see you again," Lucius said, smiling down at me. "This is my son, Draco. Draco, this is Pansy Parkinson."

"Hello," I said softly, with a small smile.

"Nice to meet you, Pansy," Draco replied. "Come, I will show you the way to the compartment," and stated off towards the train.

Before following him, I looked back at my mother and father. "Good bye, Mother. Good bye, Father. Lucius, Narcissa, it was nice to see you again." Then I walked away, following my fiancé who had stopped and looked back upon realizing that I hadn't immediately followed right after.

As soon as we got to the compartment, he rounded on my. "Your disobedience will have to go before the wedding."

I backed away from him, as far away as I could get. "Sorry. I didn't want to seem rude to your mother and father. I didn't think you would mind so much. Next time I will think better on the situation."

"Next time, you will only get away with it if it is to be polite to my parents. Now sit down and try not to be annoying," Draco said as he sat down and pulled out a Quidditch magazine.

"Yes, Draco." I sat down across from him and looked out at the 'normal' families on the platform. Suddenly I remembered something. "Oops." I say, and then bite my lip nervously while looking at Draco.

"Yes?" he said, with a bit of impatience.

"I…I forgot my trunk on the platform."

Draco sighs and gets up. "I will get it. You are to remain here, where you are, and you are in no way allowed to let anyone else into this compartment, unless it is one of our parents or a teacher. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Draco." I say softly while looking down at my hands.

Draco reaches for my chin, pulls it up, and slaps me once across the face. "Look at me when I am speaking to you, or when you are speaking to me. Do you understand that, Pansy?"

"Yes."

Draco raised an eyebrow at me, "Yes, what?"

"Yes, sir," I say softly. Draco released my chin and smiled at me.

"We will talk about your behavior when I return. Until then, mind what I told you." And with those words, he left the compartment.

After he had left, I pulled a mirror out of my purse and looked at the red hand mark on my face. 'I will have to be more careful.' I think to myself, just before I put away my mirror and returned to looking out the window.

I watch as Draco walks up to our parents. I watch in horror as my father glances angrily at the window, and Lucius laughs in good humor. I get especially nervous when I notice my father start to walk towards the train.

Moments later, my father walks into the compartment, closing the door behind him, and puts a silencing spell up. I know when he does that I am in big trouble. He then closes the curtains on the window. "Get up and prepare yourself," he orders. I know what this means. It means that I have to pull down my knickers and expose my bum so that the beating will hurt more.

I do what he says as swiftly as possible. Once my bum is bare, I rest my elbows on the seat in front of me and brace myself. And then the blows come; 50 hard blows with his open palm.

Once he had finished, he pulled me up, and said in an angry voice, "Let that serve as a reminder to you next time. Do something like this again, and the beating you will receive when you return home for holiday will be much worse."

I pulled my knickers back up and straightened my dress, tears following down my cheeks. My father just walks out of the compartment without a backwards glance.

Half a minute later, Draco comes in carrying my trunk. He smiles evilly at my tears, taking obvious delight in my pain. He closes the door and puts my trunk up.

"Sit, Pansy. We have a lot to talk about." I lower myself slowly onto the seat not taking my eyes off my fiancé. "Is this an act of rebellion, Pansy?"

"No, Draco. It is an act of pain."

"If you had behaved you wouldn't be in this pain, would you, Pansy?"

"No, Draco."

"Now we need to set some rules that you will be expected to follow. You are to respect me, and anyone else I deem worthy of respect, the rest you can deal with as you see fit, unless I tell you otherwise. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Hmm, your response brings me to the next rule. One word answers have a hint of defiance in them. Unless it is a yes or no answer, you will for a complete sentence. When it is 'yes' or 'no,' you will include 'Draco' when we are just talking or 'sir' when I am angry with you, or you are being punished. Do you understand that, Pansy?"

"Yes, Draco."

"And finally, you are to submit to me in whatever I ask or tell you. That is all for right now. Do you understand what I expect of you?"

"I understand, Draco."

"Now, about your behavior a little while ago, it was rude and disrespectful. If you do something of that nature again, you will be severely punished. And I did bring tools to punish you with. I would hate to hurt something as delicate as you, but I will if it is necessary to the growth of your obedience. Don't tempt me, Pansy. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Tell me why you used 'sir' in this circumstance."

"I figured that was part of my punishment for being rude and disrespectful to you."

"You are a bright girl, Pansy. Make sure you use your brain more in the future, when you are speaking to me. You were right about how to address me this time. We are through with this conversation." With that, he picked up his quidditch magazine and sat down.

"Umm, Draco, sorry to interrupt, but do you mind if I open the curtains?"

"That does remind me of one other thing I wished to speak to you about. You are not allowed to do any manual labor except for the following. You may feed yourself, wash yourself, go to the restroom yourself, do your homework, and read a book."

"What about getting dressed myself, Draco, you forgot that?"

"I did no such thing. Dressing yourself is a privilege that you have not yet earned. I will pick out your clothes and dress you. You may fix your hair, and put on your make up, but aside from the things I listed, you are to do nothing. So to answer your question, no you may not open the curtains, but I will. Do you understand this rule?"

Pansy furrowed her brows and answered, "Yes, Draco, I understand."

**Author's Note: In all of my fics, I make Draco out to be an egotistical prat at the beginning. He will get better as the story continues. Thank you for reading, and please review. Thank you so much for your time.**


	4. Chapter 4

_**DISCLAIMER: Okay, I admit it, none of it is mine. It is all JK Rowling's. There you have it.**_

**Author's Note: Thank you for all of your lovely reviews. Sorry that it took me so long to update. And please remember that this is Pre-HBP.**

Chapter Four:

An hour out of London, the compartment door opened again. Two chubby boys waddled their way into the compartment. I was surprised when Draco didn't immediately show them out.

"Pansy, this is Crabbe and Goyle. They are going to be in Slytherin as well, and should be treated accordingly."

I wasn't stupid, I knew what this meant. It meant that Draco would use their size to his advantage and I should respect the two boys. I turned to them and smiled softly. "Hello. My name is Pansy Parkinson."

The boys just ignored me and turned to speak to Draco. Apparently they had something they just had to say. The biggest one said, "Malfoy, word is Harry Potter is on the train."

"Do you know where he is?"

"No, but I'm sure we can find him."

With that, they got up to leave the compartment. Draco turned around just before leaving and shutting the door. "You are to remain here, Pansy."

A little voice inside of me told me that this was the way my life would be. Draco would run off with his minions and tell me that I was to remain at home.

That same little voice told me that I was safest at times like that. Times when Draco couldn't watch my every movement just to find fault with it. Times when I could relax a little bit and enjoy life.

So what do I do with this little bit of time granted me? I open my handbag and pull out a book.

I know what you are thinking. I have just been granted all this freedom and I _read a book_. As I said earlier, you don't understand us. To do anything else would be to break a hundred rules and I am working towards my own goals. I want to get back the privilege to dress myself, and if that means I have to be "a good little girl" for a while, then so be it.

I sat there reading for about an hour before Draco came back. The look on his face could kill. Crabbe and Goyle had managed to disappear somewhere.

"If that little ass thinks he can get away with treating Draco Malfoy like that, he is seriously mistaken."

"What happened, Draco?"

"Harry Potter refused friendship from Draco Malfoy."

"But why would you want friendship from someone so obviously beneath you?"

"Shut up, Pansy. You don't know anything." Draco sneered at me. I scooted as far away from him as I could go. "Return to your original seat."

Reluctantly, I got up and sat directly across from Draco. "Do I scare you, Pansy?" Draco ask maliciously.

"Yes, Draco."

"Why is that, Pansy?"

I bit my lip nervously, not wanting to answer. If I answered, I would get in trouble. If I didn't answer, I would still get in trouble.

"Stand up, Pansy." I did as I was directed. "Now come here and sit on my lap." I nervously sat on Draco's lap, not knowing what to expect. "Now tell me, my little peach blossom, why are you scared of me?"

"I never know what to expect. I never know how you will react to what I will say. On minute your hot, the next you are cold. One minute I could say something that is perfectly acceptable to you, the next minute you could slap me for it." I said all of this softly while looking at Draco's nose.

"Ahh, and if I was more predictable, would you not be as scared?"

"That all depends."

Draco looked at me with a puzzled expression. "Depends? Depends on what?"

"Well it wouldn't be better if you were going to hit me every time I opened my mouth. That is still predictable, but definitely not in a way that is beneficial."

Draco chuckled. "You are very logical. All the same, I must insist that you stop being afraid of me. It is damn tedious to live with someone that is afraid of you."

"I will try, Draco."

"No, Pansy, you won't try. You will succeed. Now go finish reading your book. I need to think."

"Yes, Draco," I took my seat and picked up my book to continue reading.

"Pansy?"

"Yes, Draco?" He was looking at me with his brows furrowed.

"You don't weigh enough. Do your parents starve you?"

"No, Draco," I replied, slightly startled at the question. I had always been lead to believe that I was overweight, not under.

"Did you eat breakfast this morning?"

"Well, no, I didn't."

"That is unacceptable. I don't ever want to hear that you didn't eat breakfast again.

"Draco, my mother insisted upon it. If I had eaten, she would have appealed to my father."

"All the same, I must insist that you eat now. You did bring a lunch with you, right?"

"Well," I said, shifting uncomfortably in my seat, "as a matter of fact, no, I didn't."

"You weigh no more then a seven year old child. I am guessing that your parents limit you to one or two meals a day. Am I correct?"

"Yes. Generally I am allowed to have a piece of toast at breakfast and dinner at night."

"You will be ending that habit now. I found the lady with the trolley while searching for Potter. You will eat everything in this sack, or deal with the consequences. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Draco." I take the sack from him and start to munch on the goodies inside, most of them I had never eaten.

Draco simply muttered, "Two meals a day, indeed" and went back to his thinking.

**Author's Note: I will try to have the next chapter up much sooner. Thank you for your patience. In the next chapter, they will arrive at Hogwarts.**


	5. Chapter 5

_**DISCLAIMER: Non of this is mine. JKR owns everything, except for the incidents that happen in the Slytherin Common room.**_

**Author's Note: Sorry that it took me so long to update. We have been having computer issues and I just haven't had time to type it on the computer. Please join our Yahoo group if you are interested in updates or sneak peeks or whatever else we feel like posting up there.**

**CHAPTER FIVE:**

After eating 1/3 of the candies in the bag, I started to feel full. I knew that if I stopped eating now, though, Draco would probably slap me, so I continued eating. After eating ½ of all the goodies, I felt as though I would throw up if I ate anything else. I looked up at Draco, only to notice that he was watching me struggle to eat everything. He raised an eyebrow at me. I bit my lip and shook my head. "I can't eat anymore. I feel sick."

"You barely ate half and you feel sick already; that is unacceptable."

"I'm sorry, Draco. I'm not used to eating this much," I replied, tears in my voice.

"Please don't cry, Pansy. This is going to be a gradual build p. First we will start with getting you to eat something at every meal, and then we will work on normal sized meals."

"Don't you worry about me getting fat?"

Draco let out a laugh. "Good God, no. Now tell me, Pansy, do you think that my mother is fat?"

I opened my eyes wide at the though of someone even thinking Narcissa Malfoy was fat. "Absolutely not."

"Mother eats three normal sized meals a day, and sometimes also has teas. I don't worry about you becoming fat. Besides, if I felt that you were becoming overweight, I would limit how much food was put on your plate." I looked down at my hands, unsure of how to word my next question. "What is your question, Pansy?"

I furrowed my brows. "How did you know I wanted to ask a question?"

"Well, it would appear that every time you want to ask a question, but don't know how to word it, or how I will accept it, you look down at your hands and bite your bottom lip."

"Oh," was my only response. Draco read me better then I expected.

"Now, what did you want to ask?"

"I was wondering, if it wasn't too much trouble, if you could write my mother and father before next break to tell them about the three meals a day?"

"It's no trouble, but why can't you do it?"

"Well," I bit my lip, "my…umm…my father would think that I was lying. He…umm…doesn't believe me very often."

"Oh, and what happened to cause him to never believe you?"

"I was a girl and not a boy," I simply stated. It was a fact that was probably true for most pureblood females. Your father, and sometimes your mother, never really loved or cared for you. The seldom believed a word you said, merely because you were a female and not a male.

Draco laughed. "Oh yes, the unwanted child. I believe my parents said it took your parents three days to name you."

"It's not funny," I said, just before returning to my book. Draco just smirked before returning to his previous occupation of thinking.

Several hours later, Draco decided that it was time to get changed into our mandatory school robes. He brought down my trunk and opened it to find that my school robes were laying neatly on top.

Draco undressed me until I was only in my underclothes. He furrowed his brow and glared at something on my arm. I glanced at my arm to try and see what he was glaring at. And there on my arm was a bruise where I had been grabbed angrily and shaken.

Draco pulled my chin up till I was looking him in the eye. "How many more bruises are on you, that spells are currently covering." I looked away, trying to get away from those eyes. He slapped me once and growled, "Look at me, Pansy. Now answer the question."

I looked up into those ice blue eyes and a tear fell from my eye. "A lot."

Draco raised an eyebrow, "A lot? Are we talking about ten? Twenty? More?"

I bit my lip. "I don't like to count. It depresses me." At Draco's raise of an eyebrow, not to mention one hand, I swiftly tried to answer the question. "I would have to guess, though, somewhere between twenty and thirty."

Draco lowered his hand. "Twenty or thirty marks on my fiancé? Did you do something to deserve it?"

"Father felt it was necessary to remind me of the beating that will await me should I mess up in anything this term." I shrugged my shoulders helplessly. "It will probably happen again before we come back at Christmas."

Draco choose to ignore my last comment for the moment. He pulled on my clothes and folded up the ones I had been wearing. He then put my trunk up before taking down his. While Draco changed, I fixed my make up and fixed a few bobby pins.

Draco put his trunk back up just as I was repacking my purse. Draco sat back down and looked at me. "Are these beatings a regular occurrence?"

I looked up at him in surprise. I thought that we had finished discussing this topic. "Umm, yes, I guess so."

Draco narrowed his eyes. "How regular?"

"Every birthday, Christmas, Easter, and Halloween."

"Is it always this bad?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "More or less. One time I was knocked unconscious, while one time I only had a dozen or so bruises."

"I will not allow this tradition to continue any longer. I will not allow anyone to damage my possessions. No one; not even you."

"Yes, Draco." At my words, the train stopped. Draco got up and grabbed my hand to pull me up. He opened the door for me and led me off the train.

You see, Draco was raised to be a proper gentleman. He was taught to open the door for a lady, lady's first, and that a gentleman always pays for a lady. Draco would never hit most girls, but since I was his private property, that excluded me.

Once we got off the train, we saw a giant trying to usher all first years toward a lake. Draco led me in that direction. We found out that we had to go in a boat to the castle, and there had to be four to a boat. We found Crabbe and Goyle and climbed into the boat.

The ride to Hogwarts was boring, and I found nothing spectacular about the castle. Sorting took place and both Draco and I were sorted into Slytherin.

Shortly after I sat down, Harry Potter was called up. The hat was on him for a full minute before it finally pronounced him a Gryffindor. Draco let out a string of curses, which I tried my hardest to ignore. Draco looked at me and smirked. "You don't like cursing, do you?"

I looked at him and replied, "Not in particular, but I can deal with it."

"Why do you dislike it so much?"

"Mother says cursing is the mark of lower classes and that we shouldn't degrade ourselves like that."

"Well, I wouldn't want to have anyone accuse me of being from a lower class."

When sorting had finally finished, the food appeared before us. Draco put a piece of chicken, some mashed potatoes, and a piece of bread on my plate. "Eat all of that, Pansy."

"Yes, Draco."

Draco then helped himself to a plateful three times the size of mine. I only had the mashed potatoes left by the time Draco had finished. I struggled to finish the potatoes, but I managed.

Draco patted my hand in an approving gesture. "Well get there, peach blossom."

Draco decided that since I had forced down al of my food without a warning from him, he wouldn't force me to eat any dessert.

We listened idly to the start of term announcements before following our prefect to the common rooms. When we arrived at the common rooms, we were met by Professor Snape. "I am Professor Snape, potions master and Head of Slytherin. You two will be sharing a living quarter down the married and betrothed hall." Snape showed us the tapestry behind which this hall was located. "Yours is the third door on the right."

"Thank you, Professor," Draco said.

"Not at all. It happens with at least one couple every year, Mr. Malfoy. Now good night, Miss Parkinson, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco led the way to the room Professor Snape had indicated. It led to a living room with a couch, two love seats, two arm chairs, and two tables. From there, Draco led me down a small hall, and opened the first door we came to.

"Ah, here's your room, my dear. The house elves have already unpacked your things so lets get you changed." Draco walked to the wardrobe and pulled out a night dress. Draco stripped off all my clothes and laid them, folded, on my bed. He then walked to me with his wand raised, and said, "Finite incantatem."

All at once, all of the spells that had been placed on me this morning faded into oblivion. Draco walked around me slowly, causing me to squirm under his eye. "28 bruises," he stated matter-of-factly. "I will write to your parents tonight about this, and the food situation."

"Thank you."

"Now, I have a deal for you," he said, pulling my night dress over my head. Draco led me to an armchair in my room and sat down, pulling me onto his lap. "I know that you really want to regain the privilege of dressing yourself. I am correct in thinking this, am I not?"

"Yes, Draco."

"I am willing to give you back that privilege if you are able to eat everything I put on your plate for a month. I won't put on more then I think you can handle, but that is the deal. Every time you are unable to eat everything on your plate, the month will begin again the next day. Understood?"

"I understand, Draco."

"Good. Now I think it is time you went to bed." Draco picked me up and laid me on the bed. "Good night, little flower."

"Good night, Draco. And thank you."

"For what?"

"Saving me from my father."

"You are mine. I won't allow anyone to hurt you. Now go to sleep."

"Yes, Draco."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is all JK Rowlings.**

Chapter Six:

The next morning, Draco walked in and woke me up from my slumber. He undressed me and sent me to the shower. Once I had finished showering, I returned to my bedroom where I found Draco, now dressed, examining the contents of my closet.

He pulled on my school uniform and tied my tie. He then put on my socks and shoes. Upon doing that, Draco looked me over and then smiled in approval. "I wish you to leave you hair down today, peach blossom."

"Why do you call me that?"

"I like it. Do you not like it?"

"Oh, no…no, I'm fine with it. I was just curious."

I got up and walked over to my vanity table. I sat down and pulled out my brush and began brushing my hair. Draco stood behind me and watched my reflection. "I wrote your parents."

I smiled weakly, not wanting to think about my father's reaction. "Thank you."

Draco placed his hand possessively on my shoulder. "Never give me cause to do to you what your father did."

"I won't, Draco."

Draco seemed to snap out of his trance-like state. He smiled at my reflection. "Of course you won't. Come now, it is breakfast time."

I pulled the brush through my hair one last time. Then I quickly located little emerald stud earrings and put them on. "Did you pack my school bag?"

"Of course. It is in the living room."

"Okay, then I'm ready."

Draco placed a hand on my back and led me into the living room. The only thing that surprised me was the fact that only one bag sat on the table. "Draco, I thought that you said that you packed my bag?"

"I did."

"But there is only one bag here."

Draco sighed and turned to face me. "Remind me of the basic rules."

"Umm…I am to respect you at all times?"

"Yes, and what else?"

"I have to eat every meal?"

"And…?"

"I am to do no manual…oh."

"Pansy…"

"Yes, Draco."

"I never lie to you, so never accuse me of it again."

"I'm sorry, Draco."

Draco picked up the bag and led me out of our quarters, out of the hall, out of the common room, and into the Great Hall. Draco found us a spot and began to place a piece toast and a piece of bacon on my plate. He then poured a cup of pumpkin juice. "Day one begins," he stated simply.

I got through that month with some difficulty, but in the end, I managed to eat everything on my plate, at every meal.

Over the course of the month, I had managed to make some friends among the Slytherin girls. The one I allowed closest to me, though, was Elizabeth Edmonton. She was a short brunette who, to all appearances, was an introvert.

Why Elizabeth became my closest acquaintance, I will probably never know. Draco wasn't thrilled when he found out that I choose her over some of the other girls, but in the end, he said that as long as I still followed the rules, he would allow it.

Harry Potter and his friend, Ronald Weasley, were definitely a nuisance. Whenever they were around, Draco became foul tempered. I swiftly learned when it was best to remain silent around Draco, and when it was okay to talk.

Draco required my presence in the living room a lot of the time. I think, though I suppose I will never know for sure, that he was lonely. Lucius did not approve of Draco making "acquaintances" among the lower classes, and not many people, even in Slytherin, were socially equivalent with the Malfoys. Draco and I talked a bit during those times, though most of the time, we each did our own thing, together. I believe that Draco just didn't want to be alone.

Upon finishing my final day of eating everything, Draco quietly led me out of the Great Hall, and into our living room. He pulled me into a big hug and murmured, "I'm proud of you, peach blossom. You're strong, and more determined, then I anticipated. You have pleased me greatly."

I grinned at him. "Thank you. So…"

He sighed in mock exasperation. "Yes, you can have your dressing privilege back, but Pansy, I still expect you to eat everything I put on you plate."

"Is that negotiable?"

"No."

"Please. Can we just talk about it?"

"Fine, but in the end, my decision is law." Draco sat down on a loveseat and indicated that I was to sit next to him."

"Okay. I'm not asking to not eat meals, or anything of that sort. I just want to ask if you can not put certain things on my plate."

"Depends. What don't you like to eat?"

"Steak and kidney pie, mainly."

"Okay. Anything else?"

"Squash and cabbage."

"Okay. Are you leaving anything out?"

"No. That's it. Well, also mushrooms, but that's all."

"Alright. I will try to the best of my ability not to put any of those things on your plate."

"Thank you, Draco."

"Now, I have another deal to make with you, but this is a one time deal. If you screw up, there is no starting over."

"Okay. What do you want?"

"If you eat every meal from now until Christmas break, you will get back the privilege of picking out your own clothes and putting yourself to bed. Deal?"

"Okay. I agree."

"Have you written your parents yet, little flower?"

"No. I don't think they're very happy with me. Or you. Or the fact that you're having me go against all of their sacred rules."

"I'm sorry, honey."

"It's okay. Only five more years, right?"

Draco smiled at me. "Yes. Five more years until you are legally mine, in every sense of the word."

"I don't think that my parents like the fact that I have come to care for you."

Sometime over the course of our sitting there, Draco's hand had wrapped around my shoulder, and his fingers had moved in little circles. At my words, though, his movements had stilled. "What do you mean, peach blossom?"

"Oh, I don't really know. I guess I care about what you think, and what you want and…well…about you. That is very un…un-Parkinson."

"How is it un-Parkinson?"

"Oh, I don't know. The fact that I am showing emotions goes against everything my parents taught me. They say it is unlady like."

"Well, it isn't. Now you've had it from me. Don't you dare turn into one of those cold-hearted bitches…stop looking at me like that. I would rather have you throw a fit, and start throwing things, hitting me, and showing emotions, then to be heartless, and never show love. But for the record, you had better not do any of the above mentioned things."

I snuggled into Draco's shoulder. "I won't. You know, I'm feeling kind of tired. Could you put me to bed early?"

"Sure, honey." Draco picked me up and carried me into my room. He changed my clothes, even though I had my privilege, and put me under the covers. "You know," he teased, "I think you have reached the weight of an eight-year-old. Good night, Pansy."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven:

Life went on as normal, only mildly modified. Draco woke me up every morning and shoved me into the bathroom to shower while he investigated the depths of my closet to decide which uniform he would have me wear that day, not that they all didn't look alike anyway. It was nice to be able to dress myself, but I longed to be able to decided when I wanted to go to bed, and what I wanted to wear. I forced myself to eat everything on my plate, though I did notice that Draco tended to put more on my plate.

On morning in late October, after Draco had put a particularly large portion of food on my plate, I said and said, "I swear, Draco. It is like you don't want me to put myself to bed or anything."

Draco laughed at me. "Now why would you go and say that? I am eager to live my own life to, peach blossom."

"Hey, I'm not preventing you from doing anything. On, the contrary; it you why hinder me from having a life."

"I would take a second to think about anything else you say, Pansy," Draco said in a deadly calm, warning tone.

I sighed, trying to figure out how to best get back in his favor. "It is not like I mind, Draco. It is nice to spend some time with ones betrothed. It will probably prevent some problems in the future. I was just saying that I'm not stopping you from doing anything that you want to do."

"You're reaching, Pans," Draco said, though he smiled anyway. "Eat your dinner. I want to go write a letter to my parents."

"See, there you go again. I'm not preventing you from leaving right now. I know how to find my way back to the common room. I'm not stupid you know."

"I would advice, my dear, that you cease to chatter before you land yourself in even more trouble then you already find yourself." Draco's voice showed that he was angry at me, though for what, I could not imagine.

"I'm sorry, Draco," I whispered, though for what, I don't have the foggiest idea.

"Eat you fucking dinner, right now, or you will not eat at all, and then that will land you in an entirely different dilemma, wouldn't it, Pans?" In stead of replying, I just picked up my fork and started to eat my supper. "Excellent choice, my dear."

We finished our supper in silence, and I managed to eat everything that Draco had put on my plate. I figured that I would already be in trouble for something, and that I shouldn't dig myself a deeper grave then absolutely necessary. As soon as I placed my fork down, Draco stood up. "Shall we be on our way, then?" Draco said before walking away, not even looking back to see if I was following.

I rushed to catch up with him. "Draco, please wait. I'm sorry, okay. I didn't mean to be disrespectful to you, or anything else like that."

"But you were, nevertheless. One of the few things I require of you is respect, Pansy, and I expect to get it."

"One of the few things?" I asked in disbelief. "Are you serious? Please, Draco, you've never lied to me before, don't start now."

"We will wait to discuss this until we are in private."

"Fine."

"What did I say about one word responses?"

"Fine, DRACO!"

"You will regret this, Pansy. Make no mistake of it, you will regret your disrespect."

I just remained silent. I knew that I had crossed the invisible barrier in our relationship. Respect was something that Draco demanded. I could get away with some little things, but when it came to me being disrespectful, Draco just wouldn't stand for it.

The rest of the walk back to our living room seemed to take forever. We passed several people who looked like they wanted to start up a conversation with either Draco or me, but one piercing glare from Draco stopped their attempts. As soon as we arrived in the living room, Draco turned and glared at me. "Sit down, Pansy."

I momentarily thought about rebelling and refusing to do as Draco directed me too, but one look at the murderous look on Draco's face stopped that thought. I sat down as directly, and calmly folded my hands on my lap, just as my mother had taught me. "Yes, Draco?" I said in a sickly sweet voice.

"Cut out the bullshit, Pansy."

"What can you possibly mean, Draco?"

Instead of replying, Draco slapped me across the face. "Got that out of your system?"

"Yes, Draco," I mumbled.

"Good. Now I want to know what came over you tonight?"

"I don't know. It just sort of happened."

"That is no excuse."

"But it is the truth."

"I see. We'll talk about this more tomorrow."

"What?" I asked, completely flabbergasted. "I mean, umm, why don't you want to talk about it now?"

"Right now, it is taking every ounce of self-control to not beat some respect into you."

"Maybe it would just be better if you did."

"No. I am not going to turn into your father."

I went to bed early that night, and laid awake, regretting my rash actions to Draco. In the end, Draco only grounded me for a week and lectured me again on the importance of respect.

I figured that I had gotten off pretty easily so I didn't push Draco, and I tried not to bother him that much for the rest of the semester. Before I knew it, exams had come and gone, and it was time to go on break. I didn't really want to go back to see my parents, but my mother wrote me and gave me no choice in the matter.

I boarded the train with Draco, wishing for the break to swiftly end so that I could be back to the place that is away from my family. I didn't want to deal with my father's anger about the fact that I had put on about ten pounds, or the fact that Draco wrote him and told him that he had better not hit me. The only time that my parent had written me this semester was to tell me that they expected to see

I sat across from Draco on the train, nervously biting my lip as we neared the train station.

"Stop it," Draco said without looking up from his book.

"What?" I asked, startled. "What did I do?"

Draco and sighed and put his book down on his lap. "Stop biting you lip. It a particularly nasty habit."

"Oh. Sorry. I didn't even realize that I was biting my lip"

"Break is going to be fine, honey. It will be over before you know it."

"I hope that you're right."

"I am. And I will write you every day. I believe that we're getting together on Christmas, so cheer up."

"Okay. Well, we're here now. See you at Christmas, Draco."

"See you then, peach blossom. Write me if anything wrong happens."

With that, Draco and I step off of the train and pointed out our compartment to the house elves, who immediately collected our stuff.

"Pansy," my mother said, emotionlessly, "how nice to see you. You're father is waiting for us at home. He has something he wishes to speak to you about."

I turned to catch one last glance at Draco, but he had already left with his parents.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The next chapter will be about Christmas break. I hope to update much sooner then this last one. Please review. It keeps me going.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Hey! Yeah, I got an update up quick! We're on spring break so I hope to update at least one more time before school recommences and I am sucked back up into all the bullshit that comes with that. And then three weeks till grad. I am so excited. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy this chapter. And Lesbian-Lover gets the prize for guessing the plot most accurately for this chapter.**

_**Chapter Eight:**_

"Pansy, it is nice to have you back home. Your father wishes to speak to you in his office. You know the way. I will talk to you more at supper."

"Yes, mother," I said, before slowly making the way to my father's study. Nothing good had ever come of my visits to father's study. I knew that even though Draco had written father with direct orders that I was not to be harmed, father would ignore it. He would never belittle himself to taking orders from an eleven-year-old boy. I paused when I got to the door to my father's study and I knocked what must have sounded like a confident little three knocks.

"Come in," my father beckoned from inside.

I hesitatingly pushed the door open. "You called for me, father?"

"Yes, Pansy, I have some things I want to talk to you about. Take a seat." I closed the door and took my customary seat. "I didn't hear from you that often when you were at school this term. Is there any reason for that?"

"I thought that since you didn't write me, you didn't want me to write you. I am sorry if I misinterpreted your lack of writing, sir."

"Don't play that game with me, child. You learned it from me, damn it, and I will not put up with you using it against me."

"I'm sorry, sir."

"How was your first term?"

"Umm, fine, I guess. I received good marks."

"Are you at the top of your class?"

"Well, no, sir. There is this mudblood in Gryffindor who has the top marks, but…"

My father interrupted my explanation by slapping me once across the face. "That is unsatisfactory. A mudblood getting higher marks then a pureblood. You aren't working hard enough. I expect better then this from you. You will be punished for that."

"I'm sorry, sir. Not even Draco…"

"Speaking of Draco," father cut in again, "I got an interesting letter from him at the start of term. From what I understand, you are to eat three meals a day, and I am forbidden to hit you. Did you put him up to it, child?"

"Me, put Draco up to anything? Not very likely. He doesn't take orders from anyone, sir, least of all me. I know my place next to him."

Father pulled me up by my hair and proceeded to strike me again and again. Sometimes with an open hand, and other times with a closed fist. "You are a little liar, aren't you," he hissed at me. "Always have been, always will be. Or maybe you wrote the letter yourself. Well, I won't take directions and order from an eleven-year-old boy. Don't you think I will, my girl, or you have something else coming to you."

At this point, tears were pouring down my face. I was beginning to loose consciousness when the assault finally stopped. "Please, sir, I didn't put him up to it. I swear it."

"Stop whimpering, girl. Sit back down," he said as he released my hair. "Now, tell me, what friends have you made? I hear Daphne Greengrass is in your year. She comes from a respectable family."

I tried to recompose myself before answering his question. My guess was that I had at least twenty bruises so far, and I knew that there was more to come. "Well, actually, umm, Daphne is a bit of a ninny so I didn't hit it off with her very well."

"What? You aren't stupid enough to not befriend somebody respectable. So, who did you befriend? An older student? That is always useful."

"Umm, actually Elizabeth Edmonton. She is from a pureblood family, you know."

"Edmonton. They are a step below the Greengrass'. They aren't in our social group. That is unacceptable." And with that, father began another assault on my body. The tears came much quicker this time and it wasn't long until I sunk into darkness.

Several hours later, I regained consciousness. There, at my bedside was an overly excited house elf, waiting for me to regain my senses. "Miss, master wishes me to tell you that you is not allowed to write any letters. And master says that you is to study your classes when you is not eating meals, and meals will be brought to you, miss. I is sorry"

"Mippy, how bad is it this time?" Technically, I was not allowed to associate with the house elves, but Mippy was the one I always woke up to find tending my broken bones and bruises. She is the one who knew best how badly I was injured.

"This is the worst one yet, miss. I is trying to heal five bones, and missus has 83 bruises. This is not going to be all gone before Christmas, miss," Mippy replied, looking distressed.

"Do you have a potion to relieve the pain I am in, Mippy"

"Master says that Mippy is not to give the potion to miss. He says that miss put herself in this situation and miss has to feel the pain of miss' actions. I is sorry, miss."

I groined in pain. I had never experienced this much pain. Just as I was about to ask Mippy if I was allowed to eat anytime soon, mother showed up.

"Well, you have landed yourself in a predicament, haven't you, Pansy."

"Hello, mother," I replied, coldly.

"Don't use that tone with me. If you had known what was best for you, you never would have put yourself in this situation. Your father warned you of the consequences of your actions before you went to school."

"And what exactly did I do, mother?"

"Do you want me to call your father to fix your attitude, Pansy? Is that what you want?"

I sighed, imagining another conference with my father. "No, mother. I am sorry."

"Now, let me have a look at you and see the damage done." I pulled the covers off to discover that I was only in a bra and underwear. "Good Lord. I told him not to lose control of his temper. The Malfoy's are coming over for Christmas in three days. There is no amount of magic that will cover up all of that. Well, the only thing there is to it is that you will have to feign ill."

"I don't think that is a good idea, mother."

"And why not?"

"Draco will not buy it. And to lie to him is deadly. Not to mention that I am under orders to write him every day, and when he doesn't receive any letters from now until Christmas, he will demand to see me."

"Then you will just have to write him and tell him that you have caught a cold."

"You know that once father says something, he will never take it back. I am under orders from father that I am not to write anyone for the rest of break."

"Well, we will figure something out. Now, you are back to normal meals. I understand how hard it must have been to eat all of those meals and then to throw the up so that you didn't put on the weight while at school, but you are at home now so you don't have to pretend."

I didn't bother refuting her statement; it would only lead to more pain. "Yes, mother. Thank you."

Christmas morning dawned bright and early when mother bustled into my room. "Come on, Pansy. We have a lot to do. We can't do anything about the bruises on your body, but we can try to cover up the ones on your face. I know some spells that might be able to hold up the couple of hours that the Malfoys' are here."

I groaned, but pulled myself out of bed. I knew that Draco would be in here in five hours, and I couldn't look like I had any bruises. Draco would eventually find out about this beating, but I hoped that at least he wouldn't find out with enough time to spare so that I would receive another beating.

I pulled on a house coat and went into the bathroom to take a shower. After I had finished showering, I went into my room to find that mother had flung half of the clothes out of my closet, onto the floor. "Mother, what are you doing?"

"I am trying to find something that is stylish, yet conservative. That way, there won't be as many bruises to try to cover up. I think that this one is the most appropriate." Mother held up a green robe set that I had never seen before. It was floor length and had long sleeves, but it was made out of the finest silks available.

Four hours later, Mother and I had managed to cover up all of the bruises in places that were visible, but with some of the last bruises, the spells were visibly weaker. I went downstairs just as the Malfoys' had arrived.

"Pansy, how nice to see you," Draco said, while coming to greet me. "I haven't heard from you yet. Is everything alright?"

"Yes, quite. I, umm, caught a cold, but I am fine."

"Hmm, are you quite sure?"

"Yes. I think that we're meant to be going into the dining room. I believe that it is lunch time."

"Yes. I believe that you're right."

I sat down at on my seat and made sure that my posture was perfect so that no one would suspect the pain I was in. We made it through the meal without Draco suspecting that something was wrong, but disaster struck when we exchanged gifts.

Everything was fine until Narcissa handed me her gift. I opened up the packaging to find a green robe set that definitely wasn't as conservative as the one I had on at the moment. But it was only in the next moment that disaster struck. "Why don't you try it on, dear? I would love to see how they look on you," Narcissa requested.

I bit my lip and looked down at the robes. "Umm…I don't know. I might catch cold."

"Don't be ridiculous, Pansy," Draco said sharply. "You can't catch cold while changing clothes."

"I just can't right now."

"Can't…oh. Has it happened again?"

I laughed a nervous little laugh. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Your posture is too good, you're far too agreeable, and you're refusing to try on the robes. Don't think me stupid, my dear. You should know better then that by now."

"I'm sorry."

"Let's talk in the hall for a second." Draco then turned to my parents. "We'll be right back." Draco then led the way out of the room and into the hall. I sat down on a chair and let my posture slip before correcting it, swiftly. "Sit comfortably, Pansy. Your back doesn't need to be rigid."

I allowed myself to become comfortable. "Thank you, Draco."

"Has he beaten you again?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't insult me by lying to me, my dear. Besides, you're far too bad at it. Has your father beaten you since you arrived home at break?"

"Umm…yes…but don't tell him that you know. He will kill me."

"There is no need to worry. He will never lay a hand on you again. I informed my father of what happened last time, and he said that if your father had beaten you, we would take you home with us."

"He will never allow it."

"He doesn't really have a choice, peach blossom. By the contract, I have every right to demand that you live at Malfoy Manor since you entered Hogwarts."

"Oh. That would be nice. Should I have the house elf pack my bags?"

"Yes."

"Mippy," I called. As soon as the house elf appeared, I continued. "Mippy, I want you to pack my things and take them to Malfoy Manor."

"Yes, missus. I is doing it right now." And then she disappeared again.

Draco then led me back into the room. "I believe that we're ready to go, father. And Pansy will be joining us," Draco said to his father.

My father turned and faced Draco, his face livid. "And where do you think that you are taking my daughter?"

"Home, to Malfoy Manor."

"I don't think so. I am her father."

"I am her fiancé, and that trumps father. You signed the contract." Draco then turned to face me. "Come on, Pansy. We will floo."

And with that, I left Parkinson Estate to begin a new life at Malfoy Manor.

**Author's Note: Sorry to all of you who didn't want her father to do anything to her, but like he was going to follow the directions of Draco. At least Draco got to her before he father had the chance to kill her or anything like that. Well, the next chapter will be the rest of the break and the trip back to Hogwarts. Please review. It spurs me on and makes me write my chapters faster. Thank you.**


	9. Chapter 9

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey, I am really sorry that it has taken me so long to update. I have been intending on updating for a long time, but life, and a variety of other things, got in the way. Well, enough excuses, here is the story.**

**Chapter Nine:**

I stepped through the floo into the spacious greeting hall of Malfoy Manor. Draco followed behind me, mere seconds later. Draco took my arm and led me into on of the family sitting rooms.

"Now tell me, Pansy, how bad was this particular beating?"

"Well, according to Mippy, I have 83 bruises, and I had five broken bones. This is the worst one ever. Father really lost control this time."

"And what healing potion does your family have you taking? I need to know so we can get you the same kind. Mixing two different healing potions could be dangerous."

"Well, actually, Father decided that as part of the punishment, I wouldn't be allowed to have any healing, or pain relieving potions. He was really mad."

"Duffy," Draco suddenly called.

A house elf suddenly appeared. "What is Master Draco wanting?"

"Duffy, fetch Mistress Pansy a pain relieving potion and a healing potion. Also, her house elf, should be arriving with her stuff. Unpack all of Mistress Pansy's stuff into the room next to mine. That will be her room from now on, so make sure that it is presentable."

"Yes, Master Draco. I is doing that right now, Master Draco." And with that, the house elf disappeared.

Draco turned back to me. "What was the argument about, Peach Blossom?"

"Well, umm, you know, the letter you sent him. He thought that I put you up to it, and all that. And then there was the fact that I choose to be friends with Elizabeth Edmonton, instead of Daphne Greengrass."

"While he didn't need to react like that, he did have some valid points. While I do not mind you having Elizabeth as an acquaintance, you do need to learn to like Daphne. You are to be a Malfoy, love, and with that come certain obligations."

"But you never seemed to mind before. Besides, you know that Daphne is totally brainless. She makes me feel as though I am being stupider by the minute."

"Pansy, I do not care for your excuses. You have obligations. The Greengrass' are in our social circle and I expect you to spend more time with Daphne then you are. As a matter of fact, you will contact her tomorrow and invite her over for tea."

"But, Draco…"

"No, Pansy. You have obligations to the Malfoy family, and this is one thing that I insist on."

I bit my bottom lip, knowing that this was one fight I wasn't going to win. "Yes, Draco. I will write Daphne tomorrow."

"I expect that you will hang out with her on a regular bases, Pansy. And if I have to remind you that you should be spending more time with Daphne, then you will be punished. Fake it if you have to, but you will lead Daphne to believe that you're her best friend. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Draco."

"Good, now it is time for you to rest."

Draco led the way to my new room. When we got there, I saw that all of my things had already been unpacked. I picked up the potion vials that were on the table and swallowed the contents. Then I laid down to take a nap before supper time.

When I woke up, I noted that it was all dark. I looked at the clock, and saw to my dismay, that it was five in the morning. _ So much for dinner_, I thought to myself. I got of bed and wandered into the bathroom. Suddenly a house elf popped out of nowhere.

"I is Mipsty, Missus. I is your new house elf. Is Missus needing anything?"

"Umm, I wish to take a bath. And I need some parchment."

"Yes, Missus. I is getting those things right now."

I watched as the elf quickly filled the tub. She quickly poured in a liquid from a vial. "What is that?" I questioned her sharply.

"Special healing potion, Missus. Master Draco ordered me to use it. Says Missus is very hurt."

I quickly undressed and stepped into the tub. I sunk into the hot water, allowing all of my troubles to pass over me. I noticed that the pain from the bruises was starting to diminish, as did the discoloration on my skin.

"Mipsty, what does this potion do?" I asked.

"It makes bruises go away for one day. It only works once for a bruise. Master Draco said that important peoples were coming and Missus had to look healthy."

I sighed in disappointment, wishing that the potion would have made the bruises disappear for good. "Very well, Mipsty. Did you get the writing parchment like I requested?"

"Yes, Missus. It is on Missus desk, as is Missus pen."

"Very well. Am I expected to go down to breakfast, Mipsty, or will it be served here?"

"Oh, no, Missus. You must go to breakfast. Master Lucius will be very angry at Mipsty if you don't go."

"Just shut up, Mipsty, and go fetch me some clothes to wear."

"Yes, Missus." The elf suddenly vanished, much to my relief.

I got out of the tub and dried off with the towel that suddenly appeared on the warming rack. I then wrapped myself in my dressing gown and walked into my bedroom, intent on writing my invitation to Daphne for tea. Although I did not really want to see Daphne, I know that this was one thing I should take care of sooner rather then later. I didn't want to deal with Draco's anger and disappointment for putting it off.

I quickly finished writing the letter and then sent it off. I got up from the desk and got dressed in the clothes Mipsty had picked out for me to wear to breakfast.

I was just about to call the little house elf back when I heard a knock on the door. Hesitantly, I called out, "Come in."

"Pansy, lovely to see you," Draco said, as he strode in and kissed my cheek.

"Draco, I apologize for not coming to supper last night. I wasn't initially trying to skip a meal. I was tired and…"

"Pansy, stop blattering. I am well aware of the fact that you fell asleep. And you should be aware of the fact that I deemed you in need of sleep enough to not wake you."

"Oh, of course."

"Now, I can see that the potion worked. Have you written Daphne as I told you to?"

"Yes, Draco."

"Good. Now that that is all taken care of, we can continue down to breakfast. After breakfast, you are to tell Mipsty that she is to arrange tea for you and Daphne. Then you should rest some more before you get ready for tea."

"Yes, Draco."

"Ah, here we are," Draco said as we arrived in front of two ornately decorate doors. The doors suddenly opened and I found myself in the Malfoy family dining room. "Mother, Father, good morning."

"Lucius, Narcissa, I want to thank you for letting me into your home. It means a lot to me."

"Nonsense, child," Lucius said. "Nobody is going to lay a hand on my son's fiancé to harm her. Your father stepped over the line. It was our duty."

"Of course." I sat down in the chair that Draco had pulled out for me.

"Draco tells me that you're having Daphne Greengrass over for tea today, Pansy. That is an excellent idea. She is a fine girl, from a very important family."

I decided that it wasn't necessary to reply, so I just concentrated on my breakfast. But no amount of concentration could keep me from feeling Draco's triumphant smirk in my direction.

Tea that afternoon went well. At least as good as it could get considering the fact that she was still as prissy now as she was at school. But she never knew what I was really feeling. Daphne bought every fake smile and polite nod. As a matter of fact, tea went so well that Draco suggested, or rather insisted, that I spent the rest of Christmas break going shopping and having tea with Daphne. By the time the train left the station to go back to Hogwarts, Daphne thought I was her new best friend, an honor considering it was no secret that I was to be the future Mrs. Draco Malfoy. By the time the train left the station for Hogwarts, I was ready to kill Draco, and the rest of society, for forcing me to become best friends with someone I secretly dispised.

**Author's Note: I am really sorry that it took me so long to update. I am not entirely satisfied with this chapter, but I am going to call it good enough. I figured that I have made all of you guys wait long enough. I do promise that I will update much, much, MUCH sooner next time. Please don't abandon me. Thank you.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: I hope that this is soon enough for you all. Thank you for all your comments, and I am really sorry that I kept you all waiting that long. I have no intention on doing that again.**

**Chapter Ten:**

It was a couple days after the start of term before Elizabeth finally decided to confront me. I was sitting in the common room doing homework. Draco was at detention, so it didn't really matter what I was doing, or where I was doing it.

"Pansy, I would like to speak to you," Elizabeth said, liking down at me with her arms crossed.

"What?" I replied, not bothering to look up from my schoolwork.

Elizabeth sat down and sighed in exasperation. "What has been up with you lately, Pansy?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, quickly jotting down some notes for my potions essay.

"Since break, you have been weird. I mean, you spend all of your time with Daphne. You used to hate Daphne."

I finally looked up. "Well, the truth is, Elizabeth, that Daphne is more in my class then you are." As soon as those words left my mouth, I wished I could retract them.

I watched as Elizabeth's eyes went wide, and then narrowed again. She abruptly stood up, trying to hide the hurt in her eyes. "I understand. Of course. I will leave you to your work now."

"No, Elizabeth…"

"Save it, Pansy," Elizabeth said, right before she turned and walked away.

My shoulder's slumped in defeat. Elizabeth had understood me. She had understood the situation that I was in with Draco. And now, she was gone.

I suddenly felt hands on my shoulders. "You did the right thing, Pans," Draco said, rubbing my shoulders.

I pulled away sharply. "Please, don't, Draco!" I quickly gathered up my books and walked calmly towards the entrance to the married and engaged couple's quarters.

Before I was half way to the tapestry, Draco had caught up with me and was pulling the books from my arms. "What did I say about manual labor?" he sneered at me.

"Just leave me alone," I growled in frustration, once again heading towards the entrance. I managed one step before Draco grabbed my arm with his free hand and began to drag me towards our quarters.

As soon as we reached our living room, Draco flung me onto the couch and threw my books down onto the coffee table. Then, before I even had time to anticipate it, I felt a stinging blow across my cheek. Then, seconds later, on my other cheek. "I have been letting you get away with far too much, recently, and it is time that we settled some things. I don't want to turn into you father, but if that is the only way that I can get through to you, then by God, I will beat the shit out of you. Understand?"

I tried to shrink further into the couch, away from his ever following grey eyes. "Yes, Draco."

"You might think that Daphne is a dull person, but she is a dull _somebody_, and Elizabeth is a _nobody_. In the life that we lead, a _somebody_ will always come before a _nobody_, no matter how dull they are, and it is about time that you realized it. This is the life that was bought you, and you will learn to fit into it properly…"

"I understand, Draco. God, don't beat a dead horse!" I suddenly burst out, shocking myself.

Draco stared at me slightly startled before he hit me twice more. "It is evident that I have not stressed enough how important respect is, otherwise you would not have said that."

"I am really sorry. It just sort of came out. I didn't mean for it to happen. Honestly, Draco, I'm sorry."

"That may be so, but for everything wrong that you do, there will be consequences. For tonight, just go to bed. I don't want to see you until morning." I got up and starting walking towards my room, shocked by the turn of events tonight. My life had gone from good, to bad in just a matter of, well, who really knows how long. Just as I was about to enter the room, I heard Draco speak again. "Oh, and Pansy, I only beat dead …horses, did you say? … when I feel it is necessary. It is best if you keep that in mind in the future."

"Yes, Draco," I mumbled before going into the room and pulling on some pajamas and slipping between the covers of my bed.

The next morning I was awoken just after dawn by Draco, who still looked quiet put out. "I will see you in the living room in ten minutes. Don't be late or you will accept the consequences of your decision. Understand?"

"Yes, Draco," I mumbled, just before he tuned to leave. Just as soon as the door had closed behind him, I jumped out of bed and pulled on set of lilac robes. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and put on simple white gold hope earring. I made it into the living room with twenty-three seconds to spare.

"I have been thinking about your lack of respect for the Malfoy family, namely me, these past couple of months, and I have reasoned that it could be from you lack of knowledge about our long lineage. For your punishment, you will research the Malfoy family. I will expect a full, thirty parchment report at the end of the summer. You have seven months to complete this assignment. If you fail to complete it, or it isn't up to par, then I shall be very disappointed, and you don't want me disappointed, Pansy, do you?"

I stared at his with my jaw hanging open for a few seconds before I realized that he did actually expect an answer to that. I quickly closed my mouth before responding. "No, of course I don't want to disappoint you, Draco."

"Now I have also thought of a more immediate consequence for your actions last night. I was very disappointed in you, Pansy, and because of that, you must be punished. I forbid you to have anything to do with Elizabeth for the rest of the year."

"But, Draco…"

"No, "buts," Pansy. You brought this upon yourself, you know? If you had just done your duty and not thrown a fit then you could have had Elizabeth as a friend on the side, but I am afraid that I can't allow that after the scene you made yesterday. If she approaches you, you are to brush her off as quickly as possible. Is that understood?"

I felt tears prick the corners of my eyes and I tried to desperately blink them back. I bite my bottom lip in the hopes of regaining my composure. "Yes, Draco," I answered quietly, looking anywhere but at him.

"Good. Now it is breakfast time," he said, reaching for my arm to lead me to the Great Hall.

"I'm…I'm not really hungry," I said, trying to pull away.

Draco tightened his grip on my upper arm and sneered at me. "I said that it is time for breakfast, Pansy."

I gasped at the coldness in his voice. "I'm sorry. Of course, what you say goes."

"Damn right."

The next several months passed by slowly. Draco wasn't half as nice as he was before Christmas, but he was definitely less angry then he was after the Elizabeth issue. I began to spend a lot time with Daphne. Elizabeth tried to approach me a couple of times, but as per Draco's order, I brushed her off, and she stopped trying.

I began to research my Malfoy assignment and by the end of the year I had written three parchments, though still far away from the thirty required of me. I figured that I would make better lead way at the actual Malfoy residence then at the Hogwarts Castle.

Draco had become more possessive then ever before. He rarely smiled at me anymore, but he always seemed to be there. Finally one day at lunch I decided to risk being "punished" by Draco in some other way to figure out what was wrong with him.

"Draco…umm…what's up?"

He turned to look at me and he narrowed his eyes sharply. "What do you want?"

"Nothing, nothing, I just wanted to know why you have changed suddenly."

"I do not know what you're talking about. Now eat your asparagus." He turned back to his plate figuring that the conversation was over.

"No."

Draco turned back to me sharply and said, "I beg your pardon."

I gulped, but raised my head in defiance. "I said 'no!'"

"Eat your damn asparagus right now, or you will face the consequences."

I bit my bottom lip and picked up my fork. Just before I put it in my mouth, though, I said, "I do want to talk about this, though, Draco."

Draco put his fork down in exasperation. He stood up and grabbed my elbow, signaling that I was to do the same. "Come," was all he said before he started to walk away.

I quickly rushed to catch up with him. "Where are we going?"

"Our living room," was the only reply I got before he picked up his pace and sped off towards the common room.

As soon we reached the living room Draco sat down on the couch and patted the seat next to him. I sat down and folded my hands on my lap. "You wanted to know why I had changed, Pansy? It is because it is evident from the incident in January that being nice to you and giving you more freedom has turned you into something entirely unacceptable."

"But I liked the nice you. I liked the times we had together," I said with a mild whine in my voice.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is what you act like. If I have to be less 'nice' for you to behave properly, then that is what is going to happen."

"Please, Draco," I begged. I heard the desperation in my voice, but I was so lonely without the old Draco that I didn't even care anymore. "I will be good. I promise."

"Unfortunately, Pans, history has proved the opposite. I cannot afford to let you tarnish the Malfoy reputation by letting you get too comfortable in your position that you begin to act improperly."

At his emotionless words, the power I had to hold the tears back left. The floodgates broke open and the tears began to pour down my face. The old Draco would have wrapped me in his arms and held me until the tears subsided, but the new Draco just sat there. After sitting there crying for five minutes, my anger at being so lonely finally became too strong.

"You don't care about me, anymore! Well, two can play that game, Draco Malfoy! I HATE YOU!" I screamed before running into my room. I flung myself onto my bed and hugged a pillow to me. I fully expected Draco to follow me, yelling at me for my lack of respect, but he didn't. At that moment, I saw a small glimpse of the old Draco. The one that would have hugged me, but didn't.

Later that night, after taking a bath and having gone to bed with the intention of getting a good nights rest, I heard the door crack open. I had my back to the door but I knew that it was Draco, so I decided to pretend that I was asleep. I felt the bed dip as he sat down. Draco began to gently stroke my hair. Five minutes later, as I was about to fall asleep, Draco suddenly stopped and whispered softly, "I will always care about you, Peach Blossom. No matter what happens or what you do."

I heard him leave the room just as a single tear made its way down my cheek, unchecked.

_Author's Note:_ Please review. I begin university in a couple of weeks, but I will try really hard to update as soon as possible.


	11. Chapter 11

I let that tear make its way down my cheek, not bothering to brush it back, and with it, my pain. So Draco did care for me. I should be happy, for that is what I wanted, is it not? But still, the loneliness did not subside. Some of the pain and the anger left, but the loneliness was still there, still as painful as before.

Suddenly, as if compelled by some outside force, I swung my legs over the bed and I walked to my door. Slowly, I turned the handle and made my way outside of my room. I crept towards the living room where I saw Draco staring thoughtfully into the fire. I crept towards him and tentatively touched his shoulder. I saw him tense up but then relax again upon realizing that it was only me.

"Draco…" I whispered softly, not sure whether it was safe to venture any further.

"Yes?" he asked in what sounded like a tired voice.

I ventured closer to him until finally I just climbed into him lap like I used to do before he got so mad at me. Instinctively, Draco began to stroke my hair as he pulled me closer to him.

"I'm sorry, Draco," I whispered into his shirt, another tear running down my cheek.

"I know, Peach, I know."

"Last chance?"

"Last chance."

I sat there, still in his lap for another couple of minutes, both of us silent and content in each others company. Finally I spoke up, "I don't really hate you, you know? I don't think I know how to."

Abruptly, Draco stopped stroking my hair. He pulled me a little closer to himself before responding. "I know, Pans. But you must never say that again. You challenged the devil in me, and next time, I may not win."

"I won't, I promise."

"Now, I think that you should be getting to bed."

I clung tighter to him, "I don't want to be alone yet."

Draco laughed. "There you are. I wondered where my Peach Blossom had hidden just now. Tell you what; I will sit with you in your bed until you fall asleep."

I smiled a small smile that I was sure he didn't see. "Thank you."

Draco picked me up and carried me into my bedroom and deposited me on my bed. Then he sat down and began to stroke my hair again until I had fallen asleep.

The next morning I woke up alone in my room, but at least I had the reassurance that today, I would not be met with my fiancés silence. I stretched out and smiled to myself before curling up into a ball. My life was coming back together and I was happy again. Sure, I had made sacrifices along the way. I had given up a friendship and made another one with someone I didn't particularly like. I had given up a good deal of my pride, but instead, I had Draco.

Suddenly the door to my room opened and Draco crept in. "Oh, good, you're awake. I thought that you were going to sleep the day away."

"What do you mean?" I asked, burying myself deeper in the covers.

"It is almost noon. You didn't forget that you're supposed to meet Daphne at one, did you?"

"Oh, bother."

"Pansy," Draco said in a warning tone.

"I just mean that I have to leave the warmth of my bed. I haven't slept this well in, well, maybe not ever."

"Yes, well, you have obligations." I groaned, preparing to hear the "obligations speech" again, but, much to my surprise, Draco did not reiterate the lecture. "Come, I must insist that you get up."

I sighed but pulled myself from my bed and headed towards the shower. When I emerged, I found that Draco had picked out the clothes that I was to wear. Although I had the option of selecting my own clothing, I decided that I wasn't willing to risk my happiness on something as trivial as which clothes I was going to wear.

I pulled on the outfit that Draco had selected for me and then walked over to my vanity. I quickly brushed my hair and applied make up. The final touch I added were my simple white gold hoop earings and a necklace with a simple emerald stone pendant hanging on the end.

"What is the significance of those earrings?"

I spun around swiftly, sighing in relief when I saw that it was just Draco, leaning against the doorway. "You startled me," I said.

Draco pushed himself away from the doorway and walked towards me. "I didn't mean to. Anyway," Draco continued, pushing my hair away from my ear so that he could see the earrings better, "what significance do these earrings hold?"

"I don't know what you mean. I like them because they are simple and they match with everything."

Draco tilted his head and then slowly shook it. "No, I don't think that is the truth. Do you know how I know that isn't the truth?"

"No, Draco, I don't know why you would suppose that."

"I 'suppose that' because you only wear those earrings when you are happy and life is running relatively smoothly. You didn't wear them on Christmas, so I knew something was off. You didn't wear them after our disagreement in January, yet you wore them on the first day of classes, on the day after Christmas, and you're wearing them now. Every time things go from bad, to good, you put on those earrings. That is how I know that you're lying to me and that those earrings hold more significance to you then the fear of lying to me."

I looked at Draco, a look of mild surprise on my face. "You are a very good observer."

"You are my fiancée, I have to be. Now, tell me why you wear them."

I looked away from Draco's searching eyes, realizing that I had underestimated him. I slouched momentarily before sighing in recognition. "It is stupid, really. Umm, these earrings are the only piece of jewelry that I own that someone didn't pick out for me. They are the only pair that wasn't forced on me in some attempt to make me…make me…well, I don't know, really. I guess that you could say that they represent freedom. When I am with my parents, I am chained to there rules and their beatings. When you are angry at me, I am chained to my unhappiness. When all is well in the world, I can be me. So I wear the only pair of earrings I actually picked out."

"But, Pans, you're chained to me," Draco whispered.

I looked at him and smiled softly. "I know, but it isn't repressive, like everything else. I know that there are rules and guidelines, but I am happy, and therefore, I am free."

"You are a funny little thing, you know that. Now come, a Malfoy must never be late,"

I smirked at him cheekily before reply, "But I am not a Malfoy."

Draco smirked right back as he replied, "Nor will you be if you keep that train of thought. Now off you go."

I got up and started to walk out of the room. Just as I reached the door, I looked back and stared at the boy that was looking through my jewelry with a pensive look on him face. He must of sensed that he was being stared at because he suddenly looked up, straight at me. He raised a single eyebrow when he realized that I had stopped walking towards my destination. "Yes?"

I smiled to myself and shook my head. "Nothing. I'm going, I'm going."

I walked out of the room, happy that finally, things seemed to be looking better for me and Draco, hoping that this time, I wouldn't find some way to screw it all up.


End file.
